Clare and Robert were on their way home from school.
"Look," said Clare, "another one," scooping up something from the
ground.
Robert also looked around. "Oh, I've got one too," called Robert
running a little way and also bending down to pick up a small stone.
If one looked closer they would see that these were no ordinary
stones for the one Clare had picked up was pink and glowing.
Roberts was a green glowing stone and because of the way the
stones set off a soft glow fascinated the children, they had never seen
anything quite like them.
Only this morning had they noticed them, the day was lovely and
not too bright and so the glow of the stones were quite prominent.
The Children had picked up more than two stones and they were
still searching for more, as they looked they came across one more a
lovely yellow golden colour after a while it seemed they could see no
more.
So off home they went with their finds, Clare and Robert were not
sure what to do with their beautiful stones yet, they were also not sure if
they had any magical powers, because they were so unusual.
May be they were from a person of magic, by the time they arrived
home they had decided to take all the stones up to their room's before
telling their mother or father about them.
Up in Roberts bedroom the children put the lovely coloured stones
on to the side table, one blue, one orange, one purple, one red , a pink,
green and last one yellow, seven altogether.
An unusual thing then happened, as soon as the stones were near
each other it seemed as if they pulled towards one another and the glow
was quite lovely to see.
The colours all glowed as if from a small rainbow were in the
room.
"Look," gasped Clare, "how pretty.
"Yes," agreed Robert.
"I'm sure they like to be near each other," whispered Clare as if not
to frighted them away.
Robert nodded. "Yes, but we must leave them here and see if mom
wants us to run any errands," so off they went running down the stairs,
When they had finished all the errands and they were no longer needed
they rushed back upstairs to see their stones.
Nothing had happened they had just stayed there glowing and the
kitten ‘Cinders’ was sat watching them and purring at them.
"Look at that," said Clare "Cinders really likes them."
"Well," replied Robert ,"we just can't sit looking at them, lets go out
to play," which his sister agreed with and off they went to see their
friends and tell them about the stones.
Now what happened was very odd, the coloured stones that Clare
and Robert happened to find were in a way magical, if one knew how to
use them.
These stones belonged to a tiny elf man who was from a country
called Ireland.
He was called a Leprechaun in his own country, he had decided to
see some other part of the world rather than stay in Ireland.
The little wee man wanted to travel, but he really didn't know how
to travel so he decided to take some of his gold which he had stored at
the end of the rainbow and change it into pieces of rainbow.
This he did, by taking the pieces of gold and meeting with the old
woman who kept the rainbow clean and shining.
Her name was Mother Shinebright, she was a kind old woman andStarlight Cresta
listened to Patrick Luckie, for that was the little man's name, she seemed
to understand about Pat wanting to see the world.
Mother Shinebright explained to him that she could turn the pieces
of gold into small rainbow stones, but after one year they would change
into ordinary stones.

She asked Pat if he still wanted to have the magic stones, he said
he really would like to travel, Mother Shinebright used her power to help
Pat and changed the pieces of shiny gold into small shiny stones of
different colours.
The good woman explained to Pat Luckie, that they would help him
to fly or do any thing he wished for within reason as long as the stones
were altogether.
The little elf man thanked the dear old woman very much and went
on his way.
He found a small iron kettle, and getting into the kettle with the
rainbow stones, he wished it to fly and ˜lo and behold˜ it moved up,
and off went the kettle.
It seemed to fly for such a long time suddenly he felt rain and could
hear a storm coming the little kettle started to rock and it tipped up.
All the stones fell out and down came the small flying kettle, that
was when the stones scattered near Robert and Clare's house.
Poor Pat Luckie fell with the kettle and was really sore.
"Oh dear, Oh dear," he said but no one heard him, anyway it was
night, he found a tree and a small corner which was quite dry, he told
himself that after a sleep he would look for the stones and he soon fell
fast asleep.
Next morning with the birds singing in the tree, Pat woke up to a
very nice day.
"Well ," thought Pat "That's  better than a storm, now to find my
stones," so off he went along the lane but he was so tiny that it really
took a long time to walk such a short distance, he wondered were he
could start to look for the missing stones, all he could see was the lane
and some bushes.
Now Pat Luckie didn't just come with magic stones˜ he also had a
magic mirror, so remembering that he had packed it he thought.
"l must take out my mirror, and see if it can tell me where to start
looking."
Pat took out his mirror and looked, he first saw the storm and then
the stones falling and as he looked he saw two children running and
picking up something from the ground they looked very excited, Pat
realised these children must have picked up the stones.
He looked into the mirror again and the scene changed, he saw the
children running upstairs in a house and in a room putting the stones
together on a table.
The picture changed again he saw a cat sat looking at them and
then the children in bed, it looked like the stones were put in a cupboard
and by what he saw, they must still be there.
"Well," he thought, "they all seem to be together, but I must find
out where the house is," and picking up his mirror and moving one way
and then the other looking into the mirror every so often.
Soon a blue glow started to come into the mirror then Pat knew this
was the way and he moved slowly forward along a lane, the mirror
started to glow yellow and then orange.
"l must be quite near now," thought Pat as the mirror was picking
up the colours from the stones, he could see a house, and as he moved
in front of the house the mirror was glowing very red.
"Now this must be where the children lived," he thought and as it
was still very early and no one was around, he moved to the garden,
were he saw a tree which seemed quite easy to climb, the branches
touching the top of some flowers in the garden.
"Now if l can get on to one of those flowers, and climb on to that
branch, I could climb on that ledge, and through the window."
This was easy for Pat to do and by the time he got to the window
ledge it had taken quite a lot of time, he just wished he were bigger at
times like these, but being small did have its advantages.
Pat moved through the window and peeped round the curtains, to
his surprise he saw a bed with a little girl still asleep.
Using all his strength he jumped, landed on the carpet rolled over
and sat up with a "Oh! Oh!" he also said, "l hope l haven't broken anything."

Now the breeze from the curtain and the hearing a little noise, Clare
woke up, sat up and looked around, at first she didn't notice anything
but Pat sneezed although it wasn't a large sneeze Clare still heard it, at
first she was a little frightened but then she heard.
"Oh dear!, I must be getting a cold Ahh Choo!," now Clare
immediately felt sorry for the little strange looking little man for he really
was tiny.

"Hello," whispered Clare trying not to startle him, Pat turned
quickly he had been so busy feeling sorry for himself he didn't realise
that the little girl had woken up.
"My name is Clare," said Clare softly in the way of an introduction,
"Well by all the Saints, " said Pat "and my name is Patrick, Pat for
short," he said.
"You sound as if you've caught a cold," said Clare as she got up
and moved over to the little man.
"Yes, I was out in the storm yesterday, and slept in a tree last
night."
"Oh let me get a towel and help you to get dry," went on Clare, by
now she was bending over to look at Pat, he really did look damp still,
so going into the bathroom came back with a small hand towel, which
Pat used to help dry himself.
In the meantime in the next room was Robert, Clare's brother and he
could hear some strange noises coming from his sisters room so
getting out of bed he went to investigate, luckily today was Saturday
and no school, so with his Saturday clothes on he knocked on Clare's
door, and peeped around the door saying.
"Good morning Sis, Who are you talking to," then "Oh!" as Robert
looked into the room he could see Clare sitting on the carpet and next to
her he saw a funny little man, he had a small green hat with a white
feather in it, Green sort of stockings with a red top and green shoes,
Robert moved into the bedroom and stared.
"Who are you," Pat jumped up gave a bow and said as loudly as he
could.
"Hello there, I'm Patrick Luckie but Pat for short," Clare came in
with, "This is my brother Robert, we call him Robbie for short," now
Clare was just getting around to asking Pat why he was there, but
Robbie being very straight forward got the question in first.
Pat then told his two new found friends to sit and he would tell
them his story, so they both sat on the carpet and being very quiet
listened to Pat's story, he ended with.
"l know the stones are in a cupboard in the house, but l don't know
which cupboard," Robbie and Clare had been looking at each other as
Pat told the story and nodded to Pat when he said they were in a
cupboard.
"They are in my room," said Robbie quite excited, "I'll go and bring
them to you," off he rushed and was soon back with Cinders trailing
behind.
Cinders rushed into the room spied the little man, and immediately
dropped her body to the floor as if to pounce, Clare swooped down and
picked Cinders up and said.
"No, Cinders, outside you go," and popped the cat outside the
door, "Whee!" said Pat, "That was close."
"We'll have you higher," put in Robbie he picked Pat up and on to
the chair next to the bed.

"Now," said Robbie, "here are the stones, still glowing," Pat looked
at the counted them and did a small tipple-tail over for joy.
"Yes, I thank you from the bottom of me heart," he cried, he
suddenly stopped "Oh, I need something to put them in so l can fly
aga|n."
Clare and Robbie looked at the little man and Clare asked "What
sort of thing, Pat,"

"Well a kettle or maybe something which l can get in and out of,
and the stones stay in even if it turns over."
Well they all sat and thought for a while then Clare looked up and
said, "l know just the thing, and no one would mind if they saw it flying."
"What is it," asked Robbie having no idea what it could be.
"Well , " said Clare ," you remember last Christmas you had a small
toy air ship which you thought was too old fashioned it had small stairs
and a door and lots of room inside."
"Yes, l remember and l put it in the shed," he said, "That maybe
the very thing, " ended Robbie, so leaving Pat in Clare's bedroom and
promising to bring him some milk bread and honey, for that was his
favourite food, they went downstairs.
After breakfast they went in search for the old fashioned Airship,
they found it under the bench in their fathers shed, it still looked quite
clean, "With a dust it will look as good as new, " said Clare.
Taking the Airship upstairs and into Clare's bedroom with some
food for Pat, they showed the small ship to Pat, he was delighted
especially when they showed him they could open the top to look inside.
It looked very neat a large room for the little man. Pat explained
to the children that the coloured stones were used to help him to fly the
Airship.
Taking a flat plastic sheet they laid the stones on the floor and cut
the plastic sheet to cover the stones, and then some felt stapled to the
sheet to make a carpet.
Clare found a table a chair and also a small bed from her dolls
house, the bed had a mattress and pillows and two blankets, she gave
these to Pat thinking that her parents would replace them, when she
explained what she and Robbie had done.
Soon they had finished, they put the top back on and then brought
the steps which were just inside the Airship out to see if Pat could climb
the steps and get in through the door, it all seemed so easy.
Time passed quickly that Saturday for all three of them but by
lunch time every thing was done, the children went down-stairs for
lunch and managed to get some food and drink for their new friend to
take with him, in the mean time Pat was so pleased, he was in and out of
the Airship, getting used to it.
When the children arrived he felt, he really could like his new home,
and for the last time in Clare's bedroom he climbed once again into the
Airship, feeling very happy.
Clare and Robbie felt a little sad as they really had enjoyed the little
man's company and the work they did.
"Sure now," said Pat , "l really must be on my way,"and thanking
the children he closed the door pulling in the small ladder with him and
soon as Clare and Robbie stood back, the little craft seemed to hover
Robbie moved to the window and opened the window , it moved through
the window and out into the air moving quite high, soon they couldn't
see the small dot.
"Clare, Robbie, where are you " called their mother, "What have
you been doing so long upstairs." Well there really was a story to tell
their parents and with this in their thoughts they went downstairs.